Coupons for kids: a classroom management strategy that is SMART! Read tips for implementing a class coupon reward system.

Coupons for Kids: The Smart Classroom Management Strategy

I have been teaching young children for 10 years and in that time I have tried A LOT of classroom management strategies, but never coupons for kids. But out of everything I have tried, classroom management strategies that are POSITIVE and ones that run themselves (after initial teaching and practicing).

Today, I am here to share with you my absolute favourite classroom management strategies that I discovered a few years ago and have used ever since: Class Coupons as a classroom management strategy. Coupons for kids is an effective and positive method that works!

HOW GIVING COUPONS FOR KIDS MOTIVATES

Students earn coupons throughout the week for having the most team points, getting the Oscar award (more on this later), being a special helper, great listener, or for doing something extra special. I use these coupons at predictable and unpredictable times, which keeps it fun for everyone. My students love the coupons and get very excited about them. They especially like that they get to choose which coupon they want from our coupon box.

WHY AND WHERE I HEARD ABOUT COUPONS FOR KIDS

I tried various reward systems over the years. The treasure box filled with store-bought items. The gumball machine led to gum all over the place. I tried it all! After spending A LOT of money on tiny surprises and toys with little significance, I discovered the coupon system. I have Mel D from Seusstasticto thank for introducing the coupons for kids system to me. She also has some great reward coupons available on TpT.

COUPONS FOR KIDS STORAGE SOLUTIONS

To store my coupons for kids, I found a clear plastic box at Michael’s that has the perfect size compartments to hold small coupons. You can buy a similar coupon box from amazon HERE.

FUN CHOICES FOR COUPONS

Some of the fun coupon choices are Special Supplies, Wear Shades, Share a Book, Lunch with a Friend, Cuddly Friend, Drink Pass, and many more. To see all the choices, click HERE. Students love choosing what is important to them. For example, if they like stuffed animals, they can bring a cuddly friend to school on day or if they have a special book at home they want to show the class, they can bring it to share one day.

I have created my own set of classroom coupons that you can check out HERE.

This set includes 40 different coupons with 10 on each page. They are completely editable. Each coupon comes in color and black & white. I suggest printing in color on white car stock or print in black and white on colored cardstock to save ink. There are also different header titles “Class Coupons” for you to pick from.

SEE COUPONS FOR KIDS IN ACTION

Coupons for Kids Resources

Free Coupons Sample

Grab the exclusive FREE 10 NEW coupon sample to match the full Class Coupon pack by clicking the image below.

Class Coupons Pack

Click the image below to visit the FULL Class Coupon product in-store or click HERE.

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Develop a classroom jobs system in your classroom with this printable set. Your students will love having their own classroom job!

Implement Classroom Jobs Like a Boss!

In my classroom, student classroom jobs are an absolute must! It is one of my favorite classroom management strategies that work.

Students love having their own job to take care of each day. They take responsibility for their classroom jobs and for the most part put in a good effort, with some guidance along the way.

Spend time during the first week or two of the school year introducing each of our classroom jobs. Here’s why spending time on that is so important. Discuss what each entails, what it looks like to do a “good” and “bad” job, and practice. Once ready, assign each student to a job. Some classroom jobs take only one person and others take two.

The easiest method for me has been using Popsicle sticks. Write each student’s name on a stick and place their sticks inside library pockets. Label each library pocket with a job and post them on the wall in a classroom job display. You could add a photo of your students on the end of the sticks for a cute display!

I like to include many different types of jobs that students can do independently with some practice. Some of the jobs we like to use are teacher assistant, messenger, chair helper, and pencil monitor.

Rotate student jobs every two weeks instead of one. I find that they need some time to get really good at the job before moving on. They also seem ready after 2 weeks for a change. This way they also have the opportunity to try each job at least once or twice throughout the school year.

We change the jobs together as a class so that they can remember which new job is theirs. As I call out each job, I ask students to give me a thumbs up if they know what their job is and a thumbs down if they need me to remind them what to do for that job.

See Classroom Jobs in Action

Responsibility Resources

Classroom Jobs Resource

You can check out this classroom jobs chart which includes 24 job cards and header posters HERE. There are 24 classroom jobs included in this pack in color and black & white.

Classroom Jobs go along with these other classroom management resources!

Responsibility Unit

This responsibility SEL curriculum includes 6 detailed, research-based lessons filled with hands-on and mindful activities that teach children about responsibility, goal setting, peaceful problem solving, and anti-bullying. Use this curriculum along with the classroom jobs system to build responsible kids!

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FREE printable Whole Brain teaching rules to put in picture frames and display in your classroom. Use them to teach students the rules in an active way.

Whole Brain Teaching: Rules That Just Make Sense

Today, I’m sharing how I use and post Whole Brain teaching rules in picture frames for my classroom.

What are Whole Brain Teaching Rules?

Whole Brain Teaching is a style of teaching where instruction seeks to actively engage every learner in activities. The whole brain teaching rules are just one aspect of the teaching method that I will be sharing about today.

My favorite part of Whole Brain teaching are the classroom rules and I have been using them in my classroom for a few years now with a lot of success. They are fun to learn, easy to remember with actions, and effective at getting students to remember the rules. Please note that I am using an adapted version of the rules that I prefer for my own classroom needs.Click here to see the original Whole Brain rules.

I start by printing my rules large and in color. I found these super affordable frames at Ikea because they matched my classroom colors. You could find something similar at almost any dollar store. I post my rules in a highly visible location for my students to see and for us to practice each morning. I introduce each rule and we discuss what it means. We also share ways that we can do what the rules are asking.

My Whole Brain Teaching Rules

I teach the Whole Brain actions that go along with each rule and poster.

RULE #1 – Listen when your teacher is talking.

ACTION: Point to your ears. Point to the teacher. Make talking motion with your hands.

RULE #2 – Follow directions quickly.

ACTION: Snap fingers side to side. Move arms back and forth quickly on the word “quickly”

RULE #3 – Respect others, respect yourself, respect your school.

ACTION: Point to the class. Point to yourself. Point to the floor.

RULE #4 – Raise your hand to speak or stand.

ACTION: Raise your hand. Make a talking motion with your hand, then make two fingers into point down like 2 legs.

RULE #5 – Be safe, be kind, be honest.

ACTION: Cross arms across chest. Put hands on heart. Put one hand up and one hand on chest, like you are making a promise.

Note: There are variations on the rules out there. These are the rules that I prefer to use in my classroom.

Tip: I write the actions down on a little cheat sheet for me to remember until the class is fluent with these.

Video Example of Whole Brain Teaching Rules

Check out this amazing video of a veteran teacher and her Kindergarten class using Whole Brain strategies and her students saying the classroom rules with actions. It is amazing how quickly students learn these rules and are able to perform the actions.

You know how sometimes it is hard to get everyone to participate in certain activities? Not this! Everyone loves these Whole Brain classroom rules in picture frames.

Students make deeper connections between the meaning of the rules when they are using their brains to perform the actions. You can also easily incorporate reviewing rules into your day at various times. For example, when your class is waiting in line or whenever you need to get your students’ attention.

Whole Brain Teaching Rules Posters

Grab your FREE Whole Brain Classroom Rules posters (my own adapted version) by clicking the image below. I have recently updated these to include a set with a white background (to save some ink). Hope you like them!

I’d love to know… Do you use Whole Brain teaching rules in your classroom? What is your favorite?

Are you already thinking about all of the projects you want to do over the summer holiday?

Look no further! I have a summer teacher calendar planner for you!

I have the perfect thing for you to get yourself and your summer organized!

Today, I am introducing a brand new and FREE teacher planner and calendar set. Simply download, print, and fill in all of your important daily, weekly, and monthly goals, activities, and plans for the summer. Don’t forget anything with these simple, elegant, and functional printable sheets for summer.

But promise me one thing before you start filling in your to-do lists…

Take time to RELAX, SLEEP, have “ME TIME,” and have FUN!!

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There are 3 components to this summer planner.

Summer Teacher Planner

I love this because you can use it if you are a teacher, blogger, or TpTer. The categories work for anyone.

READ: What books do you plan on reading for enjoyment? Is there a new teaching resource or manual you want to read in preparation for a new school year?

WRITE: Do you have a journal? Do you write poetry? What blog posts must you write this summer?

CREATE: Do you have a DIY project or 2 you would like to tackle this summer? Do you have a few products you would like to create for your store?

PLAN: Do you have a family bbq or birthday to plan? Maybe you want to plan your new reading program for the new school year? Is there a new product type you need to research before creating?

TRIPS: Are you going on any family/solo trips? Any day trips with friends? What activities for fun are you fitting into your summer?

OTHER: What other things are on your list of to-do’s?

NOTES: Jot down anything important!

Weekly Teacher Calendar

Print one of these out for each week of the summer. Set some goals and make some plans for each week. (If you are like me —>) Don’t forget to schedule your downtime!

Monthly Teacher Calendar

Print out the months you want to plan. Use this to include those most important daily events, appointments, and activities!

Father’s Day Photo Idea: Sweet Keepsake and Fun Classroom Activity

These Father’s Day Photo Keepsakes are a simple, quick, and no less meaningful way to have your children or students create a special Father’s Day gift.

Father’s Day Photo Idea: Instructions

First you will need to get some large letters. I bought a large wooden D and A at Michael’s and painted them with a few coats of acrylic paint. I choose to paint one side blue and the other yellow. Having two colours lets your students create a pattern if they wish.

Next, wait for a nice day to take your class and children outside for their photos. As you can see, the playground makes a great place to take photos. There are so many options of places and variations of poses available.

Have the rest of your class play close by while you grab two students at a time to take pictures. Give one student one letter and the other student the other letter. Let them pick their own locations and poses. Shoot away! After you shoot each child with one letter, have them switch letters and choose new spots.

If you aren’t a professional photographer, like myself, I suggest you take LOTS of photos just in case some do not turn out. Shoot away from the sun to avoid shadows. Make sure there are not any other children or unwanted objects in the background.

Upload your photos at home and pick the best 3 photos to spell the word DAD from each child. Hopefully you have taken enough to pick the best ones and you will not need to take any more. Send them off to get developed. I love Costco for photos. They are so quick, cheap, and close by!

With my class, we created frames out of heavy paper board. Cut the board into large pieces (to leave room to write and draw around the photos) and trace the areas where the photos will go. Talk with your class about things they could use to decorate the outer frame. They can write a message, say “Happy Father’s Day,” or draw pictures of things their dad loves.

After they are finished decorating the frame, use double sided tape to tape down the photos on top.

Here is a cute example from a past student.

This makes a great keepsake gift idea for mom’s as well for Mother’s Day. Simply buy the letters M & O and you are all set!

An end of the year school picture keepsake and survey idea. It’s super easy and fun! All you need is a camera and a little knowledge of Powerpoint!

A Simple School Picture Can Be an Amazing End of the Year Keepsake

Today I am sharing my favorite end of the year photo keepsake and survey idea. It’s super easy and fun!

All you need is a camera (any kind or phone will do), kids, and a background location. I recommend going outside and using the natural light.

How to Use A Student’s School Picture to Create a Keepsake

Take your students outside of the classroom on a nice day and find a place with a large wall. Ask your students to stand against the wall and take pictures with them posing. Take the shots so that the children are on to the right or left of the frame. I always take two different poses or shots just in case one does not turn out and you have a backup.

Give your students a copy of the End of the Year Survey and have them fill it out with their favourite things. Take the completed forms home with you for your photo editing later.

The survey sheets below are available for PreK to fourth grade and are included in a FREEBIE below.

Upload your photos onto your computer and open an editing program, like PowerPoint. Insert a photo and add a text box. Type the information from the completed survey. I used a few of my favourite KG fonts (Red Hands and Wake Me Up) and the colours of the rainbow to customize the text. Duplicate the slide, change the photo, and adjust the text for each student.

When you have completed all the photo editing. I suggest printing on white card stock in colour or photo paper.

Include these photos with your end of the year gifts or time capsules for students. It makes a great keepsake!

If you would like a copy of the end of the year survey, you can grab the FREEBIE by clicking the image below!

I hope you enjoy making these simple, fun end of the year photo keepsakes for your students. Your students and parents will thank you.

This post is meant for teachers wanting to start creating their own digital classroom resources for sale. This post contains 10 tips for starting as a product creator from my own personal experience in this endeavor.

Today, I’m here to share with you my personal story of how and why I started as a product creator. Back in 2011, I was on maternity leave with my son when I first came across Teachers Pay Teachers. This site intrigued me and I gravitated to its offering of free teaching materials. From there I started following some blogs and the stores they created on TpT. It wasn’t until returning to work in 2012 that I started thinking about becoming a seller myself. I didn’t official start creating until much later because there was a lack of confidence on my part (“Who would ever buy anything from me?”) and a lack of knowledge. I had no idea how to use graphics, how to properly credit sources, what programs to use…the list goes on!

It didn’t become much more of a thought until I was on summer vacation in 2013 that I finally decided to give it a go. I started doing a lot of “research” -> I read a lot of posts and watched a lot of video tutorials to help get me started. I remember saying to my husband that I would make 1 simple word wall kit (check it out HERE) and see if it sells….and IT DID! That was the confidence boost I needed and nudge to get started on more.

Today, I am hoping to share what I have learned along the way to help get YOU started and to SAVE you TIME by providing TONS of information in ONE post!

Let me start by telling you that it is WORTH IT to start creating and selling products. If you have ideas, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

There are many reasons to start creating and selling your products.

*IT’S FUN*

Yes, creating is fun! You get to think of ideas and bring them to life on a page. You get to create using graphics from the vast and great selection available (more on this later).You’ve found the perfect new hobby! Creating is my favorite hobby and what I spend most of my free time doing. It’s time consuming, but enjoyable.

*SHARE YOUR CREATIVITY*

You have ideas in mind and you want to create them. You can make your products look any way you want. You can create any activities and materials that you or others need. Maybe you have a knack for creating fun science experiments or coming up with engaging games for your classroom. Why not share those ideas with others? This is a way to do all that!
You will be sharing your resources with the entire world. Students all over the world will be learning using what you have created. That’s a pretty amazing thing!

*CREATE FOR YOUR NEEDS*

What materials do you use the most in your classroom? What do you wish you had, but haven’t been able to find? Create those! Trust me that if you need it, someone else will too!

*GROW YOUR BRAND & BUILD CONNECTIONS*

Teachers Pay Teachers is a community full of amazingly talented teachers who have all become sellers. There are many ways to get connected with those teachers. Start with your store. Then, think about connecting your store and your brand with social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Start a blog so that you can share your creations with others. Attend the TpT Vegas Conference. The opportunities for growth and connections are endless. Some of my very best friends are sellers who I have met through TpT.

*SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME*

When I started as a seller and I made my first sale, I made like $2. I was so excited! It was only a couple of dollars, but it was nice nonetheless. After more than 2 years on TpT, I now make enough to help support my family and make a real contribution to the quality of our lives. It takes a lot of hard work to get there, but it can be done.If these reasons are enough for you, it’s time to head to Teachers Pay Teachers to SET UP YOUR STORE TODAY! I would really appreciate it if you clicked my button below to head there using my referral link. From there you choose which membership you’d like to open. I highly recommend the Premium Seller Upgrade! You get 85% royalties (versus 60% with free seller upgrade) and there are NO transaction fees. Trust me, you will quickly make that $ back once you start posting your products.

I have recently opened another store with Educents. It has just recently opened up to people wanting to create their own store. If you’re interested in checking it out and starting a new store with Educents, head there using my affliate link (click the button below).

Now I will share my 10 tips to help you get started as a product creator. My hope is that these tips will help save you time and make your new endeavor enjoyable and as stress free as possible!

First, you need to start with an idea.

Is there a resource that you’ve been looking for but haven’t been able to find?

Do you have ideas popping into your head at random times?

You can create those ideas and bring them to life.

I recommend you grab a blank notebook and dedicate it to your ideas and sketches. Start by creating a simple list of ideas. After that decide which idea you’d like to start with and write down what you’d like to include in that resource. Sketch out a visual of an activity or layout that you have in mind. Just get ALL of those ideas down on paper. Whether you use those ideas or not, they are there on paper and are not going to be forgotten when you get busy.

It’s important before you start creating a new product to ask yourself if it’s original?

Is it needed by others?

Will teachers find it useful?

Will students find it engaging?

Once you have answered YES to those questions, it’s time to take your idea to the next level.

I recommend writing out your plans. You will need to visualize the idea and sketch it out. You might need to do some research to find the necessary information for that particular resource.

I have attached a FREE printable pack of planning sheets for you to print out and use as planning sheets. Click HERE to download.

Here comes the fun part…picking your graphics for your creation! You will need to find fonts, clip art, paper, and borders. When I first started, I downloaded tons of free fonts and clip art samples. These will be useful for practicing and starting your collection, but will most likely not be enough for your larger products when you’ll need more variety and specific images.

Organize Your Graphics

A mistake I made when I first started was not having an organized system for storing and organizing the graphics as I downloaded them. I highly recommend you have some sort of plan in place first, so that you aren’t always searching around to find the graphics you need or having to spend a ton of time organizing them later.

I have a main folder for backgrounds & paper, borders & frames, clip art, and fonts. I also have a folder for my products and blogging/social media here too.

I have sub-folders within each folder. For my clip art, I prefer to have subject/theme/celebration folders, such as math, fairy tales, halloween.

Within each sub-folder, I have my clip art folders. I make sure to name what is in the folder and the clip artist. This makes it so much easier when I am creating my credit page later on. I can simply look at the folder to see who I need to give credit to.

Choosing Graphics

You will want to find graphics that look great, are high-quality, and affordable. I love it when an artist provides both the line art and color versions of the clip art set. This allows you to use the graphics for your covers, as well as your printable sheets. Also, look for when an artist provides both the jpg (white background) and png (clear background) versions of the graphics.

You can visit my favorites below by clicking on their buttons.

**Clip Art**

**Paper**

**Borders**

**Fonts**

Note: You are able to download fonts and try them out for free. As soon as you sell a product commercially with a font, you must have a commercial license to use that font.

KG Fonts offers single font licenses, as well as a license to use all of her fonts commercially.

***TOU***

You will need to read the terms of use from all the artists that you use graphics from. Their TOU will let you know how to give proper credit. Click HERE for a very informative blog post about understanding fonts and clip art terms of use by The 3am Teacher.

I highly recommend that you use Microsoft PowerPoint to create your products.

**PLEASE DO NOT USE WORD**

It is so simple to add shapes, clip art, text boxes, etc in PowerPoint. I love all the options available within this program. You can also edit your files as many times as you need.

Here is brief step by step instructions to help you get started…

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint

Open Microsoft PowerPoint. Click ‘New’ from the ‘File’ menu to open a new document.

2. Choose Slide Orientation

Choose what layout you want (landscape or portrait) under ‘Design,’ then ‘Slide Orientation.’

3. Insert Graphics

Click ‘Picture’ on the ‘Insert’ menu. Find the graphic you wish to use in your computer. Click ‘Insert’ and then move the image to where you want it on your slide.You can change the size of the image by dragging the top corner.

4. Insert Text

Click ‘Text Box’ on the ‘Insert’ menu. Move the text box to where you want it on your slide and type in what you want it to say. You can change the font, font color, and font size from the font menu.

5. Add Any Additional Items (Graphics or Fonts)

Feel free to add as many graphics and text boxes to your layouts as needed to customize it to your liking.

6. Save Your Creation

To save your product, click ‘File’ then the ‘Save As’ option. Give your product a title and save to your desired location on your computer. You can also save your PowerPoint document as a PDF.

If you are a visual learner, like myself, you will benefit from watching video tutorials. There are tons of great video tutorials to watch to help you create products using PowerPoint.

You must visit the blogs below to view the tutorials and tips that they offer. They have helped me tremendously with learning the in’s and out’s to creating products.

I’m sure you can agree that the cover of a product is what catches your eye initially. Of course, a products’ content is more important, but that is not usually what grabs someone’s attention initially.

Imagine you go to find something on TpT.

You type in what you are looking for in the search box. Up pops over 1,000 items matching your search. You start to scroll down the page, until…

You find a product with a great cover!

It makes you want to take a closer look.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have eye-catching covers that make buyers want to see more. You want them to click on YOUR cover. You want them to go to YOUR product’s page. You want them to preview, wishlist, or purchase YOUR product.

It is so important to create a product with the buyer in mind. Think about what you would want to see included in a product that you purchase. These extra items should help make things easier for the buyer to understand and use your product in their own classroom.

Important Extras

I usually include at least two of these extras in my products depending on what that product is.

**Table of Contents**

Here is an example of a table of contents page from my product.

**Lesson Plans or Ideas of Lessons**

Here is an example of my lesson idea page from my product.

**Descriptions of the Activities**

Here is an example of an activity description page from my product.

**Completed Samples with Instructions**

These types of pages are useful when including crafts or activities that require putting pieces together to see the final product.Recently there has been a big push for including live photos of the product in use. Print your completed product, use it in your class and take photos, or create attractive staged photos (like those below) to include in your product previews.

I love using photographs in my products and for covers. Here are a few of the covers I have created using new photographs…

If you are interested in using photographs in your products, you must make sure you have the rights to use those photos.

I use Dollar Photo Club to find bright, vibrant shots for my products. They have a huge variety and photos on nearly any subject you can imagine. By paying for the membership, you can use the images commercially in your products.

**UPDATE: Dollar Photo Club is no longer taking subscribers. I recommend checking out Fotolia and FreeFoto.

I highly recommend including a Terms of Use page in your product.

When I first started, I would remake my TOU and credit pages EACH TIME! What a HUGE waste of time! Since then, I have created a template that can be reused and customized in all of my products.

Here is my TOU page with the essential things every TOU page should have.

You will also need to give credit for the graphics you used for your product so creating a credit page is also important. I have a credit page template ready to go. I simply add the buttons of the graphic artists I used.

**Make sure that each item you add is linked to that artists’ website or store.**

My last tip is to start by offering a few freebies in your store. Make sure your freebies are no longer than 10 pages. It’s also a great idea to make a freebie sample of a larger product so potential buyers can have a taste and see if they want to buy. Creating freebies are great practice as well!

If you have made it to the end of this post and you have decided to give it a go, head HERE to get started! I wish you the best of luck…but not without a lot of hard work!

I hope that you have found this blog post helpful.

I hope I have saved you TONS of time by giving you ALL the information you need to become a product creator in one place.

I love February and all the fun we get to have with kids this month!
We learn about Groundhog’s Day, Chinese New Year, 100’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. For the shortest month of the year, it is definitely the most jam-packed with activities.

Very Best Valentine’s Day Activities for Elementary School

Today I am sharing some of my favourite Valentine’s Day activities for elementary school.

Every year we must make something to hold the valentines we make for each other. My go-to fav is the heart pocket! Click HERE to view my full post and instructions on how you can make these in your class.

Each year I try to change them up a bit. Sometimes I give them white hearts to draw, colour, and decorate. Sometimes we start with red or pink hearts that we decorate with hearts, etc.

We hang them along a bulletin board so they are open at the top. My students can then add their Valentine’s throughout the week. We usually have a party on Friday when the kids get to open and read all their Valentine’s. Love seeing the smiles and hearing all the “Thank YOU’s!”

Of course, our poem for the week is about Valentine’s Day! We read and practice the poem all week and complete language arts activities to go along with the poem.

My students love having some “FUN” with learning during these special events. I put together these Valentine’s Day activity books for them to work on during the week for morning work and during free time. They enjoy them so much, they don’t even realize that they are learning and reviewing skills (compound words, making words, word search, abc order, and much more).

Everyone who knows me, knows how I LOVE teaching art and doing art projects in the classroom. I love having my class fun of colourful projects that my students have created. Many of these projects are based on our theme. The 2 art projects above are 2 of my favourite projects for Valentine’s Day.

Of course, I always give my little Valentines their own valentine from me. I try to be creative and last year I came across these great non-food printable valentines from Rachelle Smith. I grabbed these awesome heart straws and eraser rings from target to attach to the valentine’s. They were a huge hit. The parents loved them too!

My favourite game to play with my class on Valentine’s Day is called Action Hearts and it’s a FREEBIE for you to download today!

To play, simply print out the hearts and cut. Have your class sit in a circle and lay the hearts upside down all over the carpet. Then take turns turning over the hearts and completing the “actions” on the heart. Your class will have a blast acting like animals, spelling words, and telling their friends why they like them!

The activities seen in this post are from my Valentine’s Day Fun Pack HERE. Head to my store to check out this pack. It includes 80+ pages and has language arts, math, and art activities in it.

If you want to grab more great freebies and check out other February themed products. Head to The Primary Pack where you can grab our Things We Love About February Pack of Freebies.

Hope you and your class enjoy February and all the LOVE-ly Valentine’s Day activities for elementary school it contains!

A post about setting up a classroom and home reading program in the primary classroom. Includes free printable sheets to create home reading folders.

Setting Up A Stellar Classroom and Home Reading Program

Today I am sharing a way for setting up a classroom and home reading program in your classroom. I have been teaching students to read for nearly a decade and in that time I have tried a lot of different approaches. This system is the way that I have set it up in my own classroom and I have had a lot of success with it! I hope that I can help you set-up your classroom and students for reading success!

Daily Read to Self Time

I won’t go on and on about what Daily 5 is, but I will tell you that I LOVE the results I get by incorporating Read to Self. I pretty much follow the routines laid out in the book (head here to grab a copy for yourself!) and we work really hard at the beginning of the year on building up our stamina (our ability to read for longer periods of time).

Here are my students working hard on their reading. They clearly understand the routines, expectations during this time of the day. We all do Read to Self at the same time together. I call it DEAR (drop everything and read) time!

All my students have their own reading baskets filled with a combo of books they have chosen themselves and “just right” books (more on this further in the post).

After we have worked on Read to Self for a few weeks and they all feel confident on their own (without coming up to me for help or questions or to share a funny pictures from their book), I begin my guided reading groups.

Classroom Reading System

In my classroom, I use a set of leveled readers (PM Benchmarks) and other books that I level to the same system. You could use any leveled readers available to you in your school or district.

The system I use is leveled by colour so I have one basket for each level filled with small books inside and placed in order, in a line down the shelf. Under these shelves are my bins of themed, character, and author books. I take the time to make sure students understand how the books are organized and where they can find the books they need.

After taking the time to do some one on one reading assessments with each child, I have a clear idea of what reading level they are at and which books are just-right” for them. I place a clothespin clip with their name on their basket of “just-right” books, so they know exactly where to find those books. We also spend some time discussing how to tell if a book is “just-right,” too easy, or too hard.

Once they understand all about finding the right books, I begin to give them the opportunity of choosing their own books for their book baskets. They each have their own reading basket that I number (saves me having to relabel each year!) and they LOVE being able to fill it with books they choose.I have them pick 3 books from their “just-right” reading basket (the one with the clothespin on it) and 3 books of their choosing from any other bins in the classroom. I should also mention that I have a group of students who are reading chapter books/more difficult material (they are beyond the levels on the bins), so they get to choose their own 6 books for the week.

At the beginning of DEAR time each day, I have a different guided reading group “book shop” for new books. This keeps things organized and minimizes the noise and chaos that putting away and taking new books can create.

If you would like your own FREE set of rainbow chevron labels for your bins, click the image below!

DEAR time happens every day and it is often what I hear my kiddos say is their favourite time of day! They love the opportunity to build their stamina, pick their own “just-right” books, and work on reading to self everyday! They feel successful and LOVE reading and that makes me happier than anything!

Home Reading Program

Just as important as developing a classroom reading program, I feel that setting up a program that parents and guardians can easily implement at home is vital for reading growth and enjoyment. I hear from a lot of families, especially those with minimal resources or access to books, that this program helps keep their kids on track with their reading and guides families in what to do in order to build fluent, confident, and engaged readers.

This is my 2nd year using folders (I’ve used Ziplock bags in the past) and I love how I can customize them with a cover on the front and a sheet of questions parents could ask as their child reads on the back. Inside I also place a letter from me explaining how the program runs and what their role is at home. These sheets are provided as a FREEBIE later.

For durability, I laminate the folders not once, but twice to create some durability. My hope is that these folders last for a good part of the year. I also love using different colours of cardstock to print the covers onto.

Now this great idea was not my own, but came from Rachelle over at What A Teacher Wants. To keep your folders closed, use some Velcro strips cut into pieces and attached to the flap of the folder. This work like a charm! Such an easy and effective way to keep those books safe inside…and it lasts longer than a Ziplock.

Once the folders are complete, you can start adding your leveled readers to the folders. Label the folder with your student’s names. I keep all of my folders together in a bin. The bin is labeled for home readers and it is placed somewhere convenient. The best place is close to where students enter in the morning and leave in the afternoon.

Every day, I request that my students turn their folders. In this way, they might like to practice or share (we all share our readers later in the year). I change the readers every Friday before the weekend. I also let them know that if they are ready sooner and their parents request a new reader, they may place their folder in my desk. Then, I will have them read to me and then switch their book on that day as well.

After a little practice, these things become routine. Before I know it, my kiddos are hopping along the levels and progressing well.

I keep 2 separate bins of levelled readers as my home readers. This way I am not grabbing books they have already read from the general bins. This also makes for a quick book switch on Fridays.

I have received a lot of positive feedback from families and my colleagues over the years. They have only good things to say about the effectiveness of this system. It might be something you already do in your room, or maybe something you need some ideas about. I hope you found the post useful. May it prove helpful as you organize a class system that leads to reading success and enjoyment!

Grab the FREE Read Every Day Home Reading Folder resource now by clicking the image below!

I have included it with EDITABLE files for you to customize to suit your needs. Enjoy!

The school district that I teach in uses student-led conferences as a way of show-casing student work and achievement with families. Our students get to present their work, their learning and their classrooms to their families. It is run by students after a week of practicing and prepping for the big day. We spend a lot of time preparing student portfolios for student-led conferences. It takes a lot of preparation ahead of time by the teacher. I love spending the time to get things ready because it gives me the opportunity to reflect on how far each of my students has come during the year. This post guided you through creating portfolios, setting them up, and preparing for student-led conferences.

**STUDENT PORTFOLIOS**

My favourite way to display student work is in a work portfolio. I prepare these at the beginning of the year and add to them throughout the year so they are ready to go for the conferences. I select and put aside work pieces that the kiddos worked especially hard on, as well as a few great pieces of artwork. I keep their samples set-aside by month and later file them in a tub that is separated by name.

Before conference time, I put together their portfolios by stapling and gluing in their work samples. I also made this cute cover page for them to write their names (in fancy writing or block letters) and to color before I glued them on the cover.

**HOW-TO MAKE A PORTFOLIO**

1. I cut a large piece of bristol board in half to make a front and back (each piece should be 14″ x 22″).
2. I cut large pieces of construction paper into 13″ x 21″ pieces. I like to have 2 pieces of paper for each month of the school year (20 pieces of paper). I like to use black paper because it makes for a nice backdrop, but you could use any colors.
3. I bind them together with a ring. If you do not have a binding machine, you could staple it together with a heavy duty stapler.
4. You are now ready to add student work! Once it’s been bound together, it is easy to open and flip to the next page. There is room for 1 or 2 things on each large page.

I insert items by month into the portfolios so that families can see the growth through the year. They can see how much their child has learned and how far they have come with their writing, drawing, artwork, etc. I like to put a label with the month in the corner of the page as a guide to the viewer.

On the first inside page of the portfolio, I have my students write about themselves. I call it “Who I Am!” My students follow a template and input their own information. For example, My name is…, I am … years old. I also give them the opportunity to complete some sentences with their own ideas. For example, My favourite part of school is…
I have created this simple writing paper for my students to use and they always turn out great. I will also add a photograph of them at school to go next to their writing.

**STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE PREPARATION**

The week of the conferences is focused on preparations. We practice and prepare what our families will see. We complete a reflection and goal sheet and a student-self assessment.

1. Reflection Sheet

Before completing our reflection, we prepare by brainstorming about what we have learned so far this year.
This is usually surprisingly hard for them as young children live in the NOW and often forget what they’ve already done. Reminders are necessary!
I wish for them to share things they are good at. I boast about how they have learned to READ and WRITE and ADD and SUBTRACT!
I get them to share their favorite part of school.
They also need to come up with a goal for the rest of the year.
Finally, I request a “powerful” picture that will “WOW” our families that is neat with lots of details and careful coloring. We hang these up on our “WOW Work” board for families to see.

2. Student Self-Assessment

I have my students self-assess their work habits and social skills at school. I made a quick self-assessment with clear, easy to understand questions and cute simply faces that children can understand.
We sit together at the carpet with a clipboard, pencil and eraser in hand. I explain that I need them to be honest about their answers and to think about themselves personally, but not too critically. I tell them it is okay to not get all smiley faces and that no one is perfect. That there are things that everyone works.
We go one question at a time, reading the questions and coloring in the faces to show if they do something all the time, some of the time, or needs work. It’s nice to see how honest my students are about their strengths and areas to work on.

3. Conference Practice

Day One

It is important for my students to practice for their conferences. The conferences go smoothly when there is adequate time to review the expectations and have a pretend practice with a friend.

I start by giving my students a copy of the student-led conference checklist. We read each part together, stopping along the way for me to demonstrate what they need to do. I have a large checklist hanging up on the wall for the kids to use as a guide during their practices.

Students go to their desks and read through their portfolios and journals.

They pick and practice a math skill they will show their families. Some of the choices I give are an ‘addition peace’ card game, adding and subtraction on the human number line, number of the day activities on a white board, or playing a game with the ‘dice in dice’.

Day Two

I pair them up and they take turns going through the conference with a friend. They have so much fun pretending to be the other persons’ family member. After this, students are well prepared for the big day.

4. Classroom Preparation

On the day of the conferences, we do a thorough classroom clean-up of our desks, personal spaces, and the classroom.

On their desks,they lay out their work portfolios, a conference checklist for parents and students, their journal, and a parent & student goal & reflection sheet. I request that parents fill out the reflection sheet with their child at the end of the conference.

My favourite part of the conferences is watching my students greet their families and share their achievements with so much pride and confidence. Students feel successful and parents leave incredibly happy to see how far their child has come.

**STUDENT-LED CONFERENCE FREEBIES**

If you are interested in grabbing ALL of the sheets I use for preparing student portfolios for student-led conferences for FREE, click the image BELOW.

I hope that you have found this post useful in giving you some new ideas on student-led conferences.
I would love to hear how you have students share their learning with their families.
Do you use student-led conferences at your school to showcase student work?
How does your school share student work and achievement with families?